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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. press — a publisher
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. pop — soda
  5. pop — to visit
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. press — to push
  8. scale — in music
  9. fine — all right
  10. chip — for betting
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. chip — to eat
  14. fine — high quality
  15. scale — size or range
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. press — newspapers
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. pop — music

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com